Page 40 of His Secret Betrayal (Cedarwood Valley Duology #2)

Luke

B obbing my head, I hum along to pop music blasting through my headphones.

Alek finally relented, deeming my training complete and, grumbling his displeasure as he helped me carry my computer to my own cubicle on the main floor.

With a smirk, I peer over my shoulder at the darkened office.

He made sure to pick the cubicle that’s within direct sight of his office when the door is open. Because, of course he did.

Since I took on an extra project for overtime, the office is empty outside of yours truly. Even Alek has gone home for the day, although he did shoot me a hungry look before stalking out. The memory sends a shiver lancing down my spine because I know exactly what’s for dinner tonight.

Me.

I’m in such a good mood, my brain buzzing with it, that even the sight of Evelyn’s name popping up on my phone doesn’t dim my happiness.

Eve: I really need 100 bucks

Eve: Please, Kevin owes someone some money and it would help us out.

I scoff.

Me: I don’t have it

Eve: Where are you?

Me: Still at work.

Me: I’m busy right now. We can talk later, okay?

Evelyn has been texting me a sob story about needing money for three days now, getting increasingly mad each time I refuse her.

And yet, this is the first time she’s shown any interest in my whereabouts or how I’m doing.

Some of my good mood fizzles and, although I try to remain chipper, it’s getting harder and harder to focus on my project now .

Rolling back from my desk a half hour later, I run a hand through my hair and sigh wearily.

I’ve been at Alek’s house for a month and a half now, and the time away from Evelyn has made me realize how every harsh, callous word was breaking me down bit-by-bit.

Since I’ve been away, I’ve slowly started to feel like me again.

Maybe Alek is right; maybe some people don’t want to change.

Grabbing my keys, I pull out my phone one more time.

Me: Clocking out soon. Want me to bring anything home?

Alek: All I want is that sexy ass

Me: It’s all yours, big guy

His flirty text sends a bolt of giddiness through me, making me promptly forget all about Evelyn as I push the front door open.

As I lock it, a long, ominous roll of thunder rumbles overhead, making goosebumps form on the back of my neck.

I shiver, ducking my head as rain begins to lash against the asphalt.

In my periphery, I notice that the one lone street lamp is dim, the flickering light casting eerie shadows.

None of this deters from the elation accompanying the thought of spending another night with Alek.

I’m torn between rushing home so I can fling myself into his arms or going back inside to take a picture of said ass just so I can be cheeky.

Alek pretends to go all grumbly and stern, but his eyes light up whenever my playful side comes out. My big guy loves it when I’m brat—

“Is this the punk that’s been giving you trouble?”

A cold, menacing voice brings my naughty thoughts to a screeching halt.

I spin around, coming face-to-face with a hulking, scary motherfucker in a black tank top.

Despite his casual pose, his entire body is vibrating with tension as his hardened eyes bore into me.

He clenches and unclenches his fist, the subtle movement flexing the rather intimidating muscles around his biceps.

I gulp, wondering if he wore the tank top just to show them off because it feels like a subtle threat.

“Can I help you?” I ask, unable to mask the slight shake in my voice.

A guttural laugh has me twisting to the side, unease snaking down my spine when I spot Stoney’s gap-toothed sneer.

“What do you want?” I rasp. My gut instincts are screaming at me to do something. Every part of my body is on high alert, telling me I need to adios the hell out of here.

Stoney makes a tsking sound. “All you had to do was stay in your fucking lane, but you just couldn’t do that, could you?”

My feet shuffle backwards, my back nearly pressed up against the glass door behind me.

Based on the way they inch forward, a cruel victory dancing across their eyes, they’ve got me corralled exactly where they want me.

There’s no way in hell I could ever be fast enough to get the door unlocked before they would pounce on me, and with them flanking each side, slipping around them isn’t a viable option either.

They know it.

I know it.

“What the hell are you talking about?” I blurt the question out, my keys shaking in my sweat-slicked palms.

Stoney cracks his knuckles, each pop making me flinch. “You couldn’t just keep your mouth shut and keep giving your mama the money we need? You had to get all self-righteous and smart…”

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh .

Ignoring the sound of blood rushing in my ears, I ask, “This is about money?”

The stranger in the black tank top snickers. “It’s always about money. ”

I hold up both palms in a surrendering gesture. “Then take my fucking money and leave me alone.”

The delighted, knowing expression they exchange with each other tells me they have no intention of making it that simple.

Fuck. Me.

My back connects with the glass door behind me as I scurry backwards.

Cold sluices through my limbs, locking my spine up.

My attempt at jumping to the side is thwarted, a set of bony fingers locking onto each bicep from behind.

With a panicky, enraged sort of scream, I slam my foot and elbow back at the same time.

It connects with Stoney’s gut and shin, a loud grunt emitting from his chest.

Before I can bolt away, the man in the black tank top charges toward me. I duck, trying to evade the boot flying toward my gut, but I’m a moment too late. When it hits me, all the air in my body is knocked out of my lungs, my breath wheezing out as my knees slam onto the pavement beneath me.

I gasp, palming the ache rippling through my gut. “What the hell is wrong with—”

I let out a roar of pain as both men take advantage of my moment of weakness, their bodies lunging forward as I’m pummeled with fists and boots.

Pain erupts inside my body as I throw my hands up to protect my face from the relentless blows.

Every time I attempt to do something other than feebly defend myself, they land another blow so quickly, I’m forced to back off.

“Fu-fuck! Why are you doing this?” I scream.

Why…why…why…

When the pain becomes too much, my clothes bloody and ripped, my strength waning, I manage to curl into a ball to protect my belly.

And still, the blows come.

Until every inch of me hurts , and I become pain .

Tears stream down my cheeks as I lose the resolute urge not to cry. My body thrashes and flails as I try and fail to protect myself, my throat turning raspy and hoarse from my ragged cries. Black spots begin to dance around the corners of my vision, everything around me spinning.

There’s a deep, breathless chuckle. “That’s enough. We don’t want to kill him. Just scare him shitless.”

Finally, finally the blows stop and I’m ashamed to say I weep with relief as my body uncurls itself and collapses onto the wet pavement.

Big, ugly, heaving sobs rack my chest as two pairs of hands grab at me, roughly jamming into my pockets.

I spit and cough blood as they take everything: my wallet, my keys, even my phone.

The phone lands onto the hard pavement with a shatter, someone’s black boot grinding into the cracked screen for added effect.

As their car disappears in a cloud of exhaust smoke, I try to sit up but only end up grinding my teeth in a closed-mouth scream as white-hot pain races across my ribs. My face burns hot from the effort, and I eventually sag back down onto the ground with another cry.

Black dots speckle across my vision again, the black sky spinning above me as I lift my throbbing hand.

Two of my fingers are bent at unnatural angles, the sight of it making me want to puke.

Gingerly lowering my hand back to the pavement, the vision in my right eye narrowing as it swells, I decide I’m not going to inspect the rest of my injuries.

Everything aches, every breath and movement bringing sharp stabs and jolts of white-hot agony.

It's safe to say I’m fucked.

“Somebody…help,” I croak, my lips trembling when I realize nobody knows where I am.

My phone is smashed to smithereens, I can’t move without screaming in agony, and Alek thinks I’m on my way home. The only person who knows I might still be at work is Eve because she texted just a few—

Holy shit.

She told them where to find me.

The realization hits me like another blow, the dots slowly connecting, despite my waning consciousness. She never asks where I am, has never given a shit where I go when I’m not with her.

Until today.

Shortly after I refused to give her money again.

Right before they showed up and turned my world into agony.

The hurt lashing my insides is like a knife severing a nerve or, in this case, the last minuscule thread of hope I so tightly clutched onto that one day she would love me.

Love was the only thing I had ever really asked of her, but what she gave me tonight was the exact opposite.

The pain twisting in my heart is an ugly, writhing thing.

Worse than the pain in my broken and bloodied body.

It’s a deep, gnawing ache. A bottomless pit in my stomach churning, churning, churning.

I can barely breathe through it.

Aren’t mothers supposed to love and protect?

This time, when I weep, it’s for the woman who betrayed me. Between my stuttering, hiccupping sobs, I allow myself to say it one last time.

“Mom.”